ăJin City.ă
ăNursing Home.ă
A few elderly men with white temples gathered, fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans in the courtyard.
"Old Zhang, after dinner, how about a couple of rounds?"
"With your terrible chess skills, I could give you a two-rook handicap and you still wouldnât beat me. Playing with you isnât as fun as playing with Xiao Qin."
"Playing with Xiao Qin? You flatter yourself. In my opinion, Xiao Qinâs skills are practically professional level."
ăIn the courtyard.ă
Qin Mu couldnât help but lift his head when he heard the elderly men at the nursing home mention him. He was a volunteer at Jin City Nursing Home, but in reality, he wasnât from this world. Three years ago, by some fluke, he had transmigrated to this parallel world called Blue Star. He discovered that its history, culture, and so on were almost identical to Earthâs.
Reborn into this new life, his mindset was very stable. After understanding the worldâs situation, he chose the same occupation as in his previous life, becoming a volunteerâessentially an unpaid helperâat the nursing home. He assisted in caring for these solitary elderly individuals, sent there by their children. These seniors moved slowly and had mobility issues. Back home, their children were often preoccupied with work, leaving them no time to provide care.
Much like on Earth, many young people in this world viewed the elderly as a burden. They considered them stubborn, hard to communicate with, out of touch with modern times, and generally troublesome, opting to send their aging relatives to nursing homes. They completely forgot how these same elderly individuals had patiently taught them to speak, word by word, when they were infants, and how they had tirelessly supported them as they learned to take their first unsteady steps.
Admittedly, the children likely meant no harm; they simply sought a more convenient and comfortable life for themselves. For the elderly, however, this almost invariably led to feelings of being a burden to their offspring, making psychological distress unavoidable. Consequently, Qin Muâs daily responsibilities extended beyond looking after the seniorsâ basic needsâtheir meals, outings, and recreational activities. He also needed to offer companionship, help alleviate their anxieties, and assist them in resolving their emotional burdens.
Over the past three years, he had cultivated excellent relationships with these seniors. At the request of Old Zhang and others, he often joined in their activities, such as playing Chinese chess. Of course, whenever he played chess, he would discreetly turn on his phone, open a chess application, set the difficulty to grandmaster level, and then play against them. In three years, he had never lost a game, establishing a legend within the nursing home of being unbeatable, his skills comparable to a professionalâs.
RING RING RINGâ
While a group of seniors was chatting idly, Old Zhang, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan as he lay on a rocking chair, heard his phone ring. The sound was very loud. Old Zhang quickly sat up and pulled an old-fashioned flip phone from his pocket. He discovered it was a call from an unknown number.
Could it be my son? He hasnât contacted me in days...
Seventy-six-year-old Old Zhang adjusted his reading glasses, his trembling fingers stretching out to press the answer button on the left side of the phone. The other seniors paused their conversations and looked towards Old Zhang, many with expressions of envy. They lived there, and some of their children hadnât called in over half a year.
"Hello? Yes, may I speak to Zhang Qingyuan?" The call connected quickly. A middle-aged manâs voice, quite loud, boomed from the old phoneâs speaker.
Old Zhang was taken aback, his expression turning somewhat dejected. He could tell from the voice that it wasnât his son.
"Excuse me, are you Zhang Qingyuan?" the middle-aged man on the phone asked again, his tone now more forceful, as if Old Zhang had done something wrong.
"I... I am... I am Zhang Qingyuan," Old Zhang stammered, swallowing hard as he hastily replied.
"Hello. We are from the Cityâs Serious Crime Task Force. I am formally notifying you that your son is suspected of criminal offenses and has been detained by us. He is currently under investigation."
"In accordance with regulations, we have frozen all assets and bank accounts registered under your sonâs name. If the investigation reveals no issues, these assets will be unfrozen within seven business days."
The middle-aged manâs voice, incredibly serious, continued from the speaker of the basic phone.
CLANG!
The phone slipped from Old Zhangâs grasp as soon as the man finished speaking, his face turning deathly pale. Just a few sentences had thrown him into a complete panic.
Itâs over! How could my son be suspected of a crime? I was wondering why he hadnât called latelyâit turns out the police arrested him! What... what am I going to do?
He trembled violently, his face a mask of anxiety and panic, as if his world had collapsed.
The other seniors nearby, thanks to the loud speaker of the basic phone, had clearly heard the middle-aged manâs words. They too were startled, swallowing nervously as they stared blankly at the unfolding scene, none of them having ever witnessed anything like it.
"Zhang Qingyuan, is that correct? Donât panic. This is just a routine inquiry," the middle-aged manâs voice continued from the phone lying on the ground. "Based on the evidence we currently possess, your son is likely innocent. Once the investigation is complete, you simply need to follow standard procedures, and you should be able to see him soon."
Hearing this, Old Zhang hurriedly bent down and picked up the phone. "Officer, please, ask whatever you need to," he said into the receiver. "My son couldnât possibly commit a crime! Iâve always taught him to be law-abiding. Heâs fifty years old; he absolutely wouldnât do such a thing!"
"Whether a crime has been committed will only be determined after the investigation!" the middle-aged manâs authoritative voice retorted over the phone. "First, let me confirm: are you Zhang Qingyuan? Do you reside at 021 Lianhua Town, and are you currently staying at Jin City Nursing Home? Is your son named Zhang Tao? And do you have a grandson named Zhang Tianmin, who currently attends XX Elementary School...?" The middle-aged manâs words, delivered over the phone, carried the distinct tone of an interrogation.
Old Zhang, or Zhang Qingyuan, listened to the manâs questions, his conviction in the callerâs identity growing stronger.
If he werenât a police officer, how could he know our family details so precisely?
Right then, all he wanted was to cooperate fully with the investigation to help clear his sonâs name and secure his release. In his flustered state, he didnât consider any other possibilities. He wasnât alone in this; the other seniors at the nursing home also didnât question the middle-aged manâs authenticity. They all looked at Old Zhang with expressions of concern and sympathy.
Could this be a scam call?
Qin Mu, who had been observing the entire exchange, couldnât help but frown. Although the middle-aged manâs voice was stern and authoritative, he hadnât stated his specific department. The call had immediately put pressure on Old Zhang, aiming to break down his psychological defensesâa classic scammerâs tactic.
A few minutes later, the middle-aged manâs somber voice came through the phone again. "Very well, the investigation is complete. We can now confirm that your son, Zhang Tianmin, has no connection with this criminal case. Please transfer 100,000 yuan to bank card number XXXXXX within 24 hours. We will then unfreeze all assets under your sonâs name within seven business days."